This Changes Everything
by soccerstar11-5
Summary: Amidst the aroma of cinnamon cookies and the overwhelming amount of family love surrounding her during Christmas, will Emily Prentiss be able to take the next step in making Jennifer Jareau hers forever? Story for monkeywand.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, this story is for ****monkeywand as part of the Christmas Gift Fic Exchange on Chit Chat on Author's Corner Forum. The prompts were to use the following: Bryan Adam's Last Christmas song, fairy lights, cinnamon cookies, and ice skating. I got 3 in this chapter, but the last one will be in the next chapter. I hope this is what you were looking for monkeywand! MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

**-TCE-**

Emily Prentiss heaved a sigh of relief as she pulled the last suitcase from the trunk of her black Range Rover and slammed the door shut. A little help with the luggage would have been nice. But as she looked around at the freshly fallen and pristinely white snow, she was suddenly grateful for the brief moment alone. A typical suburban neighborhood quietly surrounded her on all sides as she lifted her gaze to the large, two story brick house in front of her. The welcoming house, so much different from the large and empty mansions she had grown up in, terrified her. So deciding to delay her entrance a few more minutes, the brunette sat on top of the Swiss suitcase and leaned against the back of the SUV.

Lost in her thoughts, Emily was startled when she felt a soft hand placed lightly on her shoulder. "Goodness JJ, you startled me," she responded with her hand still clutching at her fluttering heart as she looked up at the blonde woman beside her.

"I just came to help you with the luggage," replied the blonde as she took notice of Emily's speech pattern. It was much more sophisticated and articulate than normal. The brunette was speaking to JJ as if she was speaking to her mother, the Ambassador. As she made eye contact with the light brown eyes of the woman, she saw the walls back in place that had long since been knocked down by the blonde. Fearing the worst, JJ knelt down in front of the brunette and asked, "What's wrong Em? You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders. Talk to me. Let me in."

Swallowing unsteadily and clenching her jaw for a moment before responding, Emily looked off into the distance. She knew if she kept eye contact with JJ's clear blue eyes, she wouldn't be able to lie. So reverting to her compartmentalized demeanor, she responded in a steady, but emotionless voice. "Nothing's wrong. I was just getting some fresh air before I headed back inside."

Reaching up and pulling Emily's chin so that the brunette was forced to make eye contact with her, JJ said, "Don't you dare lie to me Emily Prentiss. I can read you like a book. Tell me the real reason you're sitting out here, in the freezing cold, with no coat on."

Knowing she had been caught, Emily, with her head still held firmly in place by JJ, lowered her eyes as she whispered, "I'm nervous." She knew she wouldn't have been able to keep up the appearance of her old, closed off self for long.

Hearing the emotion in those two words, JJ shifted slightly so she could look into Emily's light brown eyes again. "What are you nervous about? You've met my family before and you've celebrated Christmas with them before."

"But not as your girlfriend! Don't you see, JJ? This is completely different. I'm no longer the best friend just tagging along awkwardly because her family is spread across the globe. Now I'm the significant other of the baby of the family. This changes everything," Emily argued as she rose from her spot on the suitcase and paced back and forth behind her SUV. Stopping as she gazed into JJ's blue eyes again, she whispered, "It completely changes everything."

"Sweetheart, it changes nothing. You know my family adores you. They even had a bet on how long it would take us to get together before we even realized our feelings for one another," JJ said as she rose from her crouched position and stood in front of Emily. Reaching out to grab both of the brunette's cold hands in her own, she laced their fingers together. Moving her eyes from their interlocked hands to the panicked eyes of her lover, JJ lifted to her toes and placed a gentle and comforting kiss on Emily's blue lips. "Just think of this as a normal visit. Don't add the pressure of the holiday to it." JJ gave the unmoving brunette another calming kiss. "Come on, let's go inside. I'm freezing," JJ urged as she grabbed the handle of the suitcase with one hand and dragged a still reluctant Emily with her other.

When the couple entered the warm house, hand in hand, the delicious scent of cinnamon wafted over them. Not ten seconds later Emily heard her name being called as she looked down to see a small head of blonde hair catapulting itself into her waiting arms. "Emmie! I'm so happy you are finally here! I missed you so much! Gwandma is baking cinnamon cookies and she let me help her just like when you make double chocolate chip pancakes and you let me mix. I did a weal gweat job, she told me so!" Henry exclaimed ninety miles a minute as he clung tightly to Emily's neck. After a few seconds of silence, he finally asked, "Will you come help too? We have lots more to make!"

Wrapping her strong arms around the boy's back, Emily took a moment to just appreciate Henry. JJ and Henry had flown up earlier in the week because Emily had been required to attend a social event with her mother. So she had opted to drive up and meet them. The three of them would drive back together after the New Year. She had already greeted JJ when she had brought the first batch of luggage in, but Henry had been elbow deep in dough so she had snuck back out to get the rest of the suitcases JJ had made her bring. Breathing in a deep breath of cinnamon laced clothing, Emily pulled back and placed a soft kiss to his forehead before responding, "I'll be right there Champ. You get everything ready, okay? I've got to put this suitcase in my room."

"Okay Emmie! But huwwy because the ofers are going to make them all before you come back down," Henry exclaimed.

Putting the exuberant child on the ground, Emily watched as he took off running toward the large kitchen. "Hey, no running inside the house mister!" Emily called out instinctively. She saw Henry slow down to a brisk walk as he disappeared around the corner.

JJ smiled as she looked up to Emily and said, "You're so good with him, it amazes me sometimes."

The brunette didn't respond but simply smiled as she placed a tender kiss to JJ's temple. "Well, are you going to show me to my room?"

JJ nodded as she led Emily up the wooden stairs to the right of the entrance. Although Emily had been in the house before and had spent Christmas with the Jareau's before, she had never been upstairs. Both visits to the old brick home, where JJ had grown up, had been brief and formal. This was the first time she had ventured further than the living room and kitchen. So when JJ opened the first door on the left, Emily wasn't quite sure what she had been expecting. But she wasn't prepared for what greeted her.

The room looked as though it hadn't been changed for fifteen years. It looked like it still belonged to an eighteen year old girl. There were soccer trophies and plaques hanging around the room. A bulletin board of pictures, movie ticket stubs, and other teenage paraphernalia was hanging above a desk set in front of two large windows looking out into the back yard. The queen size bed sat pressed against the far wall with a blue and green polka dot bed spread covering it. When her eyes finally scanned everything and had reached back to the blonde still holding her hand, there was a genuine, if not slightly strained, smile on her face. She was still uncharacteristically apprehensive about this stay, but to see a part of JJ's history laid out in front of her strangely comforted her. Finally finding her voice, Emily said, "I get to stay in your old room?"

"Actually, _we_ get to stay in my old room," JJ replied almost seductively as she shut the door. With a sultry look in her darkening blue eyes, JJ fully faced Emily and said, "Henry is staying in the living room with his cousins. Jason and Julie are staying in their old rooms with their spouses. It's only logical for you and me to stay in here." Taking a step toward the brunette, JJ pushed her body flush against Emily's and rose up to passionately kiss the brunette, moaning into the contact.

Having gone almost a week without touching, or even seeing JJ, Emily was almost lost to her desire. But her previous inhibitions came back through when JJ moved to her neck and Emily glanced around at her surroundings. Half-heartedly trying to push the aggressive blonde away, Emily eventually managed to say, "JJ, what are you doing?"

Her response was muffled by her continuous kissing of Emily's smooth neck and collarbone, "Isn't it obvious?"

Barely able to contain the moan rising in her throat as JJ reached her sensitive spot just below her ear, Emily ground out in a voice scratchy and heavy with desire, "But we're in your parent's house."

"And?"

Closing her eyes as she angled her head to give JJ better access, Emily knew she was quickly losing her battle with logic, "And Henry's waiting on…Oh God…Jennifer." Battle lost.

JJ smirked to herself as she walked the two of them to her bed. She knew she had won the moment Emily called her Jennifer. It was something the brunette only did when she was completely lost to her passion. So sitting Emily on the side of the bed, the blonde made quick work of the brunette's red sweater, pulling the garment off and leaving Emily heaving unsteady breaths in nothing but a black bra and black slacks. JJ allowed her eyes to rake over the toned body of her lover before she raised her blue eyes to meet her brown counterparts. Whispering in a husky voice, "God I missed you," JJ leaned forward and captured Emily's full lips in another passionate kiss.

Emily's mind was clouded with lust for JJ. If she had been thinking straight, she would have stopped the blonde and made them both go downstairs to visit with the family. But having been without JJ's kisses and touches for almost a week had made Emily's resolve weak. She needed the interaction just as much, if not more, than the blonde. So as JJ leaned in to unhook her bra, she reached up to quickly unbutton the blonde's light blue shirt.

Just as Emily succeeded in pushing the shirt off of JJ's shoulders, the door to her bedroom flew open, "Hey, Jenny, have you seen the…OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!"

Hearing the door slam shut again, JJ quickly jumped back from Emily, grabbed her shirt from the floor and screamed, "What happened to knocking, Jason?"

"What happened to locking the door, Jenny?" Jason retorted as he stood chuckling outside the bedroom door.

"I can hear you laughing! Go away," JJ grumbled as she finished buttoning her shirt again. The mood had effectively been killed.

"Okay, but have you seen the fairy lights? Mom wants to hang them tonight but I can't find them anywhere."

"No! I don't know where they are. Now go away!" JJ fumed as she turned back to face Emily. The brunette was lying back on the bed with a soccer pillow covering her face. JJ picked up the discarded red sweater from the ground and walked over to hand it to her girlfriend. When she reached the woman, she saw that her entire body had an unusual red tint to it. Pulling the pillow from the brunette's face, JJ smiled as she saw a deep red blush, almost the same shade as the woman's sweater, mostly covering Emily's cheeks. Handing the sweater to Emily, JJ said, "Come on Em, let's go downstairs."

"Are you kidding me? I can't go down there now. Not after that! God, I haven't even been here an hour and I've already done something wrong," Emily ranted as she tugged her sweater over her head. Standing up to be a few inches taller than JJ, she looked down into clear blue eyes and said, "What if your parents hate me now?"

JJ couldn't help herself as she let out a quick bark of laughter. Now Emily was just being ridiculously paranoid, "Em, Honey, they aren't going to hate you. Everyone will definitely rag on us now, but no one will hate you. It's going to be fine," JJ finished as she stretched up to chastely kiss Emily before she turned to head out of the room. When she reached the door, she faced Emily and said, "Are you going to just stand there all night?"

Snapping out of her waking nightmare of the Jareau's kicking her out, Emily stiffly walked to meet JJ. She relaxed immediately as she felt the blondes' small hand close around her own. As long as JJ was with her, she could handle anything the Jareau family could throw at her. So with the briefest of smiles and a curt nod, Emily signaled she was ready.

As the duo entered the kitchen to sounds of music and laughter, Emily relaxed even further. This is the atmosphere she had missed growing up. She had no family memories or family bonding. No family time at all really. She just had elegant dinners aimed at furthering her mother's political career. So as Emily gazed upon Henry making cinnamon cookies with Lisa Jareau and his cousins while the adults talked with Richard Jareau around the large table, she allowed a true smile to stretch across her face.

Looking up into the content face of her lover, JJ whispered discreetly, "See? Everything is going to be fine," before moving away from the brunette's side to go kiss Henry exaggeratedly all over his face.

When Lisa noticed her youngest daughter playful attack Henry, she lifted her eyes to meet Emily's hesitant gaze. Having spoken with JJ about Emily's insecurities around families especially around holidays, Lisa quickly made her way over to the brunette and wrapped the tall woman into a loving embrace. "I'm so glad you're finally here Emily dear. Now it truly feels like Christmas can begin!" the woman finished as pulled back and rubbed her hands a few, quick times up and down Emily's arms. "Now, I think Henry mentioned you were going to help with the cookies, but I'm not sure we have the room with all the kids in here. You're more than welcome to grab a glass of wine and go visit with the adults," Lisa winked as she turned to return to the hoard of children at the counter working on the cinnamon cookies.

Emily was grateful that Lisa had given her an out from having to help with the baking. Normally she enjoyed the task, but today her mind was too focused on staying sane, so she would have only done more harm than good. So going over to the counter to grab a wine glass, Emily made her way over to join JJ, who had already sat down next to her father. Taking the only available seat at the table, Emily was forced to sit between JJ and Jason. Deciding to disregard the incident from earlier altogether, Emily ignored JJ's older brother and faced Richard.

Before Emily could say a word in greeting, the father spoke up, "I'm glad you've finally arrived Emily. Henry and Jenny, most Jenny, have been sulking around the house for the past few days. Now maybe they'll get into the Christmas spirit," he finished with a quick Jareau wink and a grand smile wrinkling his face as it grew.

Emily's heart warmed as she heard that JJ had been sad without her. As she looked over, she saw the blonde woman hide her face in her hands as a deep blush crept up into her porcelain skin. Turning to face Richard again, Emily said, "I'm terribly sorry. I would have loved to be here sooner, but I had to take care of a few matters with my mother."

"Now, she's the Ambassador, right?" Richard clarified. He knew exactly who Emily's mother was. Everyone knew Emily's mother was the wealthy heiress to the Prentiss fortune and was a ruthless Ambassador to boot.

"Yes sir. She was in Washington to meet with the Portugal Prime Minister. That's the country she is currently stationed. I had to be present as the dutiful daughter, much to my distain," Emily finished as she felt JJ's hand slip onto her thigh. The touch was only meant as a comforting gesture for both women. Emily was quick to reach over and laced their fingers together.

"Well regardless, I'm certainly glad you're here now. Maybe Lisa will allow us to hang the damn fairy lights now," Richard mumbled as he turned to talk to JJ's sister Julie, and her husband Matt.

Seeing his opportunity to strike, Jason leaned in and whispered in Emily's ear, "I'm glad to see Jenny's bed is finally getting some action. Lord knows it didn't during high school," he chuckled as he leaned back in his chair.

Hearing the exchange and watching Emily's face turn an unnatural shade of red, JJ reached over and slapped her brother on the back of the head, "Shut up, Jason! I don't want to have to kick your ass in front of your kids."

"Yeah right! Like you could take me, Squirt!" Jason retaliated as he flicked JJ on the arm.

Seeing Emily's head buried in her crossed arms and feeling her heart going out to the unsuspecting woman, Jason's wife reached over and slapped him on the head in the same place JJ had, "Hey! What was that for Liz?" Jason exclaimed as he rubbed his head.

Giving her husband a good long stare, Liz finally responded, "Leave them alone, otherwise _your_ bed won't be seeing any action either." Seeing her husband blanch at the threat, Liz finally turned toward the couple he was just tormenting. When Emily finally lifted her head to make eye contact with her, Liz continued, "You'll have to excuse him. Jason has an insatiable desire to pick on JJ seeing as she's his only younger sister. Unfortunately that throws you into the mix now as well."

Emily simply nodded in appreciation before she turned back to face JJ. Glad to have at least one ally other than JJ and Henry for the holiday, Emily offered her lover a weak smile. Maybe this would all work out.

JJ smiled as she reached over and took Emily's hand back in her own. Leaning over, she placed a quick kiss to the brunette's still redden cheek and offered a supportive smile of her own. Little did Emily know that this was just the beginning. Liz wouldn't always be around to rein Jason in. And when Julie was finally brought up to speed on the previous incident, she would be just as bad, if not worse, than Jason. But JJ wasn't about to tell Emily that. So instead, she pulled the brunette up from the table and guided her toward the kitchen counter. It would be best, at least for the moment, to focus on the children.

When they reached the small group of five kids and one adult, JJ sat on the stool at the bar while Emily stood behind her. The taller woman reached out and wrapped her arms around the blonde's small waist, both content with the soothing contact. They both watched as Lisa helped the kids use the cookie cutters to make different Christmas shapes while they all danced and sang along to the low music coming from the stereo.

When Brian Adams' _'Last Christmas'_ began playing through the speakers, Lisa Jareau immediately hollered, "Richard! Get in here! It's my favorite song!"

A few seconds later, just as the words to the song began, Richard Jareau walked into the kitchen area and swept Lisa up into a close embrace as the two began to dance. The adults smiled on as they watched the two older adults dance around the kitchen, just like every year. The children all squealed in excitement and screamed "GROSS!" at the top of their lungs as their grandparents went in for a kiss. As the song reached the chorus, Emily watched in amusement as Henry joined in singing, "Last Chwistmas, I gave you my hea't, but the vewy next day, you gave it away. This year, to save me fwom tears, I'll give it to someone special."

Emily leaned down and whispered into JJ's ear, "Why exactly is this your mother's favorite song? It's not exactly romantic or anything."

JJ laughed slightly as she leaned back into the brunette's strong embrace. "Bryan Adams is her 'get out of jail free card.' Anything he sings is her favorite song ever."

"Oh, I see," Emily responded as she rested her cheek against the top of JJ's head. She gazed at the scene in front of her with a new appreciation for the word 'family.' She had never had a cheerful time with her family. Ever. It was always about them moving to the next country or eating with the dignitaries or sitting in silence together. So to see JJ's family, so close and loving, was a new experience for her. Emily's heart warmed to think that she was now a part of this. Just thinking about it, Emily squeezed JJ a little tighter and whispered, "Eu te amo muito, Jennifer Jareau."

Turning her head to the side, JJ peered into Emily's deep brown eyes. She loved when Emily spoke to her in Portuguese, especially to say 'I love you.' It was rare to hear the brunette even utter those words, but to hear it now, in front of her whole family, JJ smiled a broad and excited smile. "I love you too Emily Prentiss." She reached up to place a sweet and long kiss on the brunette's lips. After a moment, JJ finally pulled back, "More than I ever thought possible."

Emily sighed in contentment as she turned back to the dancing scene in front of her. She had all she had ever dreamed of in the kitchen of this house. The woman of her dreams was sitting in her arms. Henry was singing along happily to the music. She was surrounded by all the love she had never received growing up. She would make these few weeks with the Jareau's work, despite her nervous apprehension. If nothing else but for the simple fact that she truly did feel like this is where she belonged.

**-TCE-**

After a long night of baking cookies, eating pizza, and visiting with the family, everyone eventually retired to their respective rooms. The five children where already fast asleep in the living room downstairs as the adults made their way upstairs. Just before Emily shut the door to JJ's old room, Jason stuck his head in, "Hey, I don't want to hear any ruckus from you two tonight. I wouldn't want to have to send Julie in here." With a quick wink, the man was out the door before JJ could throw her pillow at him.

Walking over to a frozen Emily, JJ cupped her face and pulled the distant brown eyes to her own blue ones, "I'm sorry Sweetheart. He's just kidding around with you. If anything, it should make you feel good. It means he likes you. I'd be more worried if he was ignoring you honestly."

The reassuring helped ease Emily's fears, but not her embarrassment, "It doesn't change the fact that he walked in on us almost having sex. In your parent's house. On your bed from high school. Damn you and your irresistible body," Emily mumbled as JJ covered her mouth with her own.

"That's not what you were saying at the time," JJ mumbled as she placed another long kiss to Emily's lips.

Before the kiss got out of control again, Emily pulled back and looked down in apology at the blonde before her. "Let's get ready for bed," was all she said as she moved over to her sole piece of luggage. Living abroad for so long had taught her how to pack light. JJ, on the other hand, had 3 large suitcases, not including Henry's 2 smaller ones.

Understanding Emily's hesitancy to continue what was started this afternoon, JJ silently agreed as she changed into her pajamas. After completing their nightly routine, both women climbed into bed around 11:30pm. With Emily's back to the wall, she reached over and pulled JJ to her front. It still amazed her at how perfectly their bodies fit together. With JJ's back pressed tightly to her chest, Emily reached around and placed her hand to JJ's flat stomach. This was her favorite way to fall asleep. Knowing the motion soothed the blonde, Emily tucked her hand under JJ's tank top and began to rub soothing circles on the soft skin.

Lying there, thinking about the day, Emily began to chuckle. Before long, she was almost doubled over in laughter. "What's so funny?" JJ inquired as she continued to lay with her back pressed against the heaving chest of her girlfriend.

"Nothing. It's just something Jason said. So your bed didn't see a lot of action?" Emily wheezed out in between breathes.

JJ huffed as she attempted to scoot away from Emily. But being that there wasn't much room, she didn't go far, "As a matter of fact, no. I knew I was gay in high school, but I wasn't out. And even if I was, I would have been the only one. East Allegheny is a small place, even though we're close to Pittsburgh. Trust me, my bed still wouldn't have seen any action," the blonde finished in a pout.

"Oh, come on Baby. I'm just messing with you. I think it's adorable," Emily finished as she pulled JJ back into her arms and placed a soft kiss on her exposed shoulder.

"You know, most women would be glad their girlfriend stayed a virgin for so long. Less to be jealous about. But you're laughing at me. That leads me to wonder when exactly you lost your virginity," JJ finished as she waited for an answer. Not hearing one, she ventured, "Well? I'm waiting."

Swallowing hard and realizing how this quickly turned around against her, Emily started, "I just want you to remember that I grew up overseas. Things are a lot different in Europe. Some things are a lot more…accept."

"Stop making excuses and just tell me Emily."

"Fifteen. I was fifteen," Emily said as she waited for JJ to blow up. For as calm as the blonde usually was, her jealousy tended to get the better of her.

"Fifteen? Emily Prentiss! That is ridiculous! Well, it's a good thing this girl lives across seas. That's all I'm going to say about that," JJ finished as she sulked. She knew Emily was experienced, it was evident from the amazing things she did to her during making love, but she hadn't expected that bit of information.

Deciding that now would be a good time to change the subject, Emily asked, "So what are the plans for tomorrow?"

Sensing what Emily was doing but choosing not to fight her on it, JJ replied, "Well, it's Christmas Eve. Usually Mom and Dad take the kids to do whatever they want which leaves the day for the adults to exchange gifts with each other and to do whatever last minute preparations are needed. Christmas day is all about the kids. Usually we wrap presents and just hang out, but I've already wrapped all of our gifts. So tomorrow I want to take you to my favorite place from when I was growing up," JJ finished as she snuggled back deeper into Emily's arms. Her eyes were growing heavy. She hadn't had a good night sleep since the last night she had slept in Emily's arms.

Hearing the exhaustion slowly overtaking JJ's voice and feeling the tension leaving the blonde's body, she knew the woman was about to fall asleep. So she whispered softly, "Whatever you want to do, meu amor." After she heard the soft sound of JJ's breathing even out, Emily gently extracted herself from the blonde's tight hold.

Slowly making her way over to her one suitcase, Emily lifted a few layers of clothes to reveal a little blue box with _Tiffany & Co. _scrawled across the top in elegant script. Opening the box, Emily gazed down at the solitary, three carat, princess cut diamond engagement ring nestled gently in the velvet folds. The silver band caught the faint moonlight streaming in from the window as Emily just sat and stared at the ring. This was the real reason she had been late getting to East Allegheny. She had to fly to New York to pick up the special ordered ring.

This was also the real reason she had been a nervous wreck all day. As she gently put the box back in its place, Emily climbed back into bed and wrapped her arms around JJ once more. The blonde turned in her sleep as she placed her head on Emily's shoulder and threw her arm over Emily's stomach. The brunette lay awake for a while, just gliding her fingers through her lover's hair. Tomorrow, she could be lying in this same bed, but with her fiancé. Tomorrow, she planned on changing everything.

**-TCE-**

**A/N: I'm really excited about this story! It won't be as long as my other one, but it's nice to write a fluffy story for the Holidays. So what did you think? Any suggestions or requests? **

**A/N: For those of you who read my other story, Intensely Fierce, don't worry! I'll be updating that one soon : ) **


	2. Chapter 2

**-TCE-**

The brunette woman groaned softly as she rolled over to wrap her arms back around her blonde girlfriend, but all that met her was a cold mattress. Groaning louder this time in frustration, Emily crawled out of bed and pulled on a hoodie and sweatpants to venture downstairs. As she descended the wooden staircase, she was bombarded with the smells of a large breakfast coming from the kitchen. Following her nose, Emily entered into a scene much like the one from the night before.

For the moment, Emily stood in the doorway and watched the busy kitchen. JJ, her blonde hair pulled into a messy ponytail, stood behind Henry helping him pour batter onto a griddle to make pancakes. Lisa and Richard stood at the opposite counter helping the other four children decorate their pancakes with fruit and bacon to making smiling masterpieces. Feeling comfortable enough with JJ's parents distracted, Emily made her way over to her blonde girlfriend and laid a gentle hand on the small of her back while leaning over to place a quick kiss to her rosy cheek.

Feeling the familiar lips on her cheek, JJ quickly turned her head and captured Emily's lips in a chaste kiss before the brunette could pull away, "Good morning, Sunshine!" she sing-songed as she turned her attention back to her task of helping Henry.

Hearing his mother speaking above him, Henry immediately brought his head up to look at the person she was speaking to. When his eyes met those of Emily, the young boy instantly released his hold on the bowl and wriggled out of his mother's grasp while chanting "Emmy" excitedly. JJ, grateful she had a hold on the bowl so it didn't fall and bust, smiled as she watch Emily bend down to lift Henry off the ground, "Good morning, Champ. What are you and your mother up to?" the brunette asked as she wrapped the small boy in her arms.

Pulling back after giving Emily a hug, Henry looked excited back towards the pancakes his mother was now making, "We're making pancakes, Emmy. I alweady ate mine but now me and Mommy are making yours!"

Setting the small boy back on the ground, Emily smiled as she leaned casually against the counter top and said, "You and your mother are actually making _me_ breakfast? Usually I'm the one slaving over the stove while you two watch from the table."

JJ looked up and playfully glared at the brunette before Henry responded, oblivious to the joke, "Yeah, but you were still asweep and Mommy said not to wake you up."

Henry, satisfied with his explanation, stepped back in front of his mother to start helping her again. While Henry was distracted for the moment, JJ retaliated, "It's not my fault that you've been trained by professional chefs from a young age. And to point out, you've mentioned on several occasions that you enjoy cooking for Henry and me. Don't try and say otherwise, Missy."

Holding her hands up in surrender, Emily's smiled grew wider at the playful banter going on between the two, "Alright, alright! You caught me. But it will be nice to be the one served instead of the one serving."

Lisa Jareau turned and watched the two women playfully bickering with each other for a moment. The other children were busy eating their pancakes so she had a moment to breathe. Lisa noticed how relaxed and content Emily appeared to be as the brunette had a hip casually propped against the counter and her arms crossed loosely in front of her. This was the side of Emily Prentiss that JJ had fallen in love with, and Lisa could see that. When the brunette addressed herself and Richard, she was poised, articulate, and diplomatic. When the two older adults had first met the brunette, they had known that JJ was head over heels with the woman. But at the first meeting, they could not understand how or why. How could their little girl love a woman who acted like a robot? But as time wore on and Lisa experienced moments like these where she got to peek into their world, she knew there wasn't another person on Earth more suited for JJ than Emily.

The older woman made her way toward the trio as she addressed Emily, "Good morning, Emily dear. Did you sleep well?" Lisa regretfully noticed Emily flinch slightly at the intrusion, but quickly recovered as she stood taller and straightened her posture. She wished more than anything that the Ambassador had shown this girl love while she was growing up so that she wouldn't fear being reprimanded by parental figures so much.

Emily had made the mistake of falling into a seclude world with JJ and Henry. But that often happened when she was around the two. So when the voice of Lisa Jareau penetrated her mind, Emily jumped slightly and reverted back to her 'Ambassador's daughter' personality, "Yes ma'am. It was splendid."

"Oh please dear, you don't need to be so proper with me," Lisa explained as she waived a hand in the air. "Now, I don't know if JJ has told you about how today works, but its Christmas Eve, so Richard and I are going to be taking the kids out of the house for the day. That leaves you all with time to do whatever you want or need to do. And that starts right…now!" Lisa said she went to grab Henry from where he was standing between JJ and Emily.

JJ smiled as she watched her son being twirled around by her mother. "Gwandma! Put me down!" yelled the little boy as he struggled to get loose. When Lisa finally set him back on the hard wood floor, Henry ran to Emily and wrapped his small arms around her legs. "I don't wanna leave you Emmy. You just got here yesterday and now you just woke up. I wanna stay wif you," he whined.

Emily bent down so she was eye level with the blonde boy. She felt her heart clench in her chest because everything inside her told her to give Henry what he wanted. But at the same time, she needed to not only make Henry leave to follow the Jareau tradition, but so she could give JJ her Christmas gift. But looking into Henry's dark blue eyes, she felt her resolve crumble just a little, "I know Champ. I wish you could stay too. I'm sorry, but you've got to go with your Grandparents and all of your cousins. But listen, if you're an extra good boy, I'll have a big surprise for you when you get back. Deal?"

Hearing the word surprise, Henry's eyes brightened and a big smile stretched across his small face, "Weally?" When Emily smiled also and nodded, Henry wrapped his arms around her neck in a quick hug and said, "Well, I've got to weave then! Come on Gwandma, we've got to get outta here!" Henry walked back to Lisa, reached up and grabbed one of her hands with both of his, and pulled her towards the kitchen door.

As the two disappeared, JJ noticed that her father had left with the other children while Emily had been talking to Henry. Realizing she and Emily were alone, she pulled the brunette up from her crouched position on the floor and pushed her firmly against the countertop. Leaning in and pressing a strong kiss to Emily's lips, JJ moaned into the contact. Pulling back, JJ allowed her hands to rest on either side of the brunette as she asked, "So what's this big surprise you've got for Henry? You know Christmas is tomorrow right?"

Emily fought hard to keep a stoic face. She didn't want to be too closed off so as to make JJ suspicious, but she didn't want to seem too excited either. Instead, she answered calmly with only a hint of a smirk, "I realize that. But it's not really a present just for Henry. It's kind of a surprise for both of you, so I figure I'll give it to you two tonight."

JJ stood for a minute and stared hard into Emily's eyes. She hated it when Emily kept things from her, but this was obviously something the brunette had been planning. So, not wanting to ruin her girlfriend's surprise, JJ only nodded as she placed a few more slow kisses to Emily's lips. "You know I hate surprises right?" the blonde asked in between kisses.

"Mmm, I know. But something tells me you'll like this one. And that's all I'm saying about that," Emily finished as she tried to push JJ back. She wasn't very big on PDA, especially in her girlfriend's parent's house.

JJ, resisting Emily's silent pleas to back off, simply continued her trail of kisses down the brunette's neck to her collar bone poking out of the top of the hoodie. "What if I told you I had a surprise for you right now?" the shorter woman asked huskily as she grabbed Emily's right hand with her left and guided it to the waistband of her flannel pajama pants.

Emily moaned at the feeling of her handing meeting the soft flesh of JJ's tight stomach. As if moving of its own accord, Emily's hand slowly crept down the front of JJ's pants to be met with a slick wetness. As if the combination of hearing JJ moan into her ear and the feeling of her now wet fingers, Emily broke out of her trance and whispered huskily into JJ's ear, only able to speak in choppy sentences, "Not here Baby. Not now. Later. I promise."

But Emily never removed her hand. Instead, she left it sitting in place while JJ locked their lips in a passionate kiss. Only breaking apart when the need for air grew too great, "It's not fair to get me all worked up and then not give me a release. Don't you see what you do to me Emily Prentiss?" JJ ground out with much difficulty. Her brain was clouded with lust and barley able to process coherent thoughts.

"God! Will you two get a room?" Jason exclaimed before Emily had the opportunity to respond to JJ's whispered inquiry. "Better yet, get a lock on the room you already have. Or maybe I should tell you to learn how to use the lock, on the door, to the room, you two already have," the man finished with a full-fledged smirk plastered onto his pale face. His hazel eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint as he watched the two women jump apart. Emily quickly stood ram-rod straight as she assumed her 'don't fuck with me' posture as JJ called it. But the crimson blush spreading across her cheeks gave away her true embarrassment.

JJ quickly straightened her pajama bottoms before she turned around to face her obnoxious older brother. "Shut-up Jason! That's twice now that you've interrupted us."

"Yeah, but this time it wasn't my fault. I cannot be held accountable for your decision to partake in 'extracurricular activities' in the kitchen of our childhood home. Which is now filled with family I might add," he finished as he ran his hand through his thick brown hair. If JJ was the spitting image of her mother with her short stature, blonde hair and blue eyes, then Jason looked just like his father with his hazel eyes, brown mane of hair, chiseled features and tall physique.

Just as JJ was about to retaliate to defend her and Emily, another person walked into the increasingly crowded kitchen, "What's all this commotion about?" Emily only closed her eyes as she saw JJ's oldest sibling, Julie, walk into the room. She hadn't dealt much with the blonde haired, hazel eyed woman who was about the same height as Emily, but she did know that the woman was a force to be reckoned with. She was just as much of a jokester as Jason, but in a much more subdued fashion. The older sister pushed a stray curl behind her ear as she waited for someone to answer.

"Nothing much Jules, Emily was just trying to jump Jenny's bones…again!" Jason finished in a roar of laughter as he dodged an oven mitt thrown at his head.

Watching as JJ looked for something else to chunk at her brother, Emily felt the need to defend her honor, "In my defense, the first time we were behind a closed door. And both times JJ seduced me into acting on my lustful urges."

Julie watched as JJ found a plastic spatula and advanced toward Jason who was hunkered down behind the bar. Just as the youngest Jareau was about to reach her brother, Julie stepped in. She grabbed JJ by the waist, and since she was a few inches taller than her sister, she easily spun the shorter woman around while grabbing the spatula from her flailing hands. "Hey! That's no fair! You two always gang up on me!" JJ whined as she wrenched herself from Julie's grasp. "Daddy!" the petulant woman called.

Emily's eyes widened as she realized JJ had _actually_ just called for her dad in the same manner that Henry often whined for his mother. The mother and son were more alike than the brunette had originally thought. "He and Mom have already left with the kids. And don't even think of calling for Matt and Liz because they're both in the shower. It's just me and Jason here. Your girlfriend _could_ protect you, but I think she's too worried about making a good impression to do much of anything," Julie taunted as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and leveled a challenging look on JJ.

The two women stared each other down for a few moments as they squared away before JJ stomped her foot in defeat, let out a small huff, and spun around to exit the kitchen. On the way, she grabbed Emily's hand and dragged the flabbergasted brunette behind her.

As the two entered JJ's room, the blonde immediately set about pulling clothes from her numerous suitcases laid out across the room. Emily watched her girlfriend storm around the room for a few minutes before saying, "You know, you're kinda cute when you go all 'Daddy's little girl throwing a temper tantrum.'"

Halting in her preparations for the day, JJ spun towards Emily to find her leaning against the door and grinning widely. Reaching out to grab a shirt from Emily's suitcase, JJ threw the garment at the brunette's face and said, "Oh shut-up Emily and just get ready. Dress warm."

Not another word was said as the two women got ready for their day.

**-TCE-**

Emily looked around at her surroundings as she blindly followed JJ down the snowy forest path. The two where bundled up with toboggans pulled over their heads and gloves secured over their hands. Each woman had a pair of ice skates slung over a shoulder, Emily having borrowed a pair of Julie's old ones. With her hand tightly held by JJ, Emily finally asked, "So…are you ever going to tell me where we're going?"

"Patience is a virtue Emily. One you would do well to acquire," JJ stated as she slowed down to walk beside her girlfriend. She had refused to reveal their destination, citing only that it had been her favorite spot to escape to when she was growing up. "Besides, we'll be there in five minutes."

Emily kept to herself that she had more patience than JJ was aware of as she fingered the tiny blue box with her free hand that was tucked in the pocket of her jacket. "That's what you said ten minutes ago. I just feel like you're leading me off into the woods to kill me where no one can hear my cries for help."

"Oh please Em. You and I both know I'd be a lot more efficient with your murder so as to leave minimal amounts of trace evidence, thus ensuring my innocence," JJ retaliated as she pulled Emily's arm tighter into her body. She dew her other arm across her body to place a hand on Emily's bicep.

Emily smiled broadly at the playful banter she often enjoyed with JJ, "Well, at least I know what to look out for."

Turning her head to gaze up into Emily's face, JJ allowed a deep smile to grace her features as she said, "There's that smile I've been missing." JJ never thought her happiness would be so dependent on another person's until she had Henry. But now, with Emily, it was just a strong, but in a different way, as her desire to see her son happy.

Emily only rolled her eyes at the sappy comment before lowering her head to place a quick kiss to JJ's forehead. "Well, with no judging, familial eyes bearing down on me, I can actually relax a bit. Hence, the smile."

JJ was about to respond when she noticed her surroundings. Somehow in the time she was talking with Emily, she had lost track of the hike. The two women now stood at the natural entrance to an open area in the woods. In the middle of the opening, a large pond sat frozen solid with piles of snow sitting at its banks. The freshly fallen snow laid untouched my human intrusion. The opening was surrounded by trees on all sides except for the area where the two women now stood. Emily looked around in awe at the area. There was about a twenty yard space between the tree line and the edge of the pond. Next to the pond, a sole maple tree stood, ancient and sturdy, with its thick branches stretching toward the middle of the frozen pond.

Emily was snapped from her daze when JJ pulled her forward by the hand. The blonde woman dragged the brunette to a low hanging branch of the old maple tree and sat the two of them down. Emily automatically followed JJ's lead as the woman began taking off her shoes to put her skates on. While Emily still took in her surroundings while absentmindedly pulling on her skates, JJ began explaining her attachment to this location, "Almost nobody knows about this spot. Even though my family's house is in the neighborhood, they still own all this land back here. Most of it is fenced off, including this area. When I was growing up, Daddy would bring me out here to learn to fish during the summer. Julie, Jason, and I learned to swim in this pond. And during the winter, we would all come out here to skate. Eventually, Julie and Jason got too old and too cool so they stopped coming with Daddy and me. Then one day, I was too old for Daddy to tag along too. That's when it became my safe haven. When I was going through my sexuality crisis, I spent a lot of time down here."

JJ paused as she turned to look at Emily, who was now staring intently back at her. "That's why I wanted to bring you down here. This was my safe haven growing up. It was a major part of my past. But you're my safe haven now Emily. It was important for me to show you where I grew up." JJ leaned forward and brought Emily's face closer to hers with both of her hands. For a moment, the two just sat and shared a tender kiss. Pulling back, JJ looked deep into Emily's brown eyes and said with conviction and certainty in her voice, "I love you, Emily Prentiss."

Emily stared back into JJ's blue eyes as she responded, in English, "I love you, too."

JJ was shocked for a moment to hear Emily respond to that statement in English. Usually, to convey feelings, Emily reverted to her native tongue, Portuguese. Even though JJ knew it meant more to Emily to say 'eu te amo,' it was still nice to hear the brunette respond in English for once. Growing excited with the expression of feelings, JJ quickly stood up and pulled Emily with her. "Come on, Em! Let's skate!"

Emily, wobbling on her own skates, slowly followed JJ to the edge of the pond. As she looked apprehensively down at the ice, the brunette turned her panicked eyes up to meet JJ's reassuring ones, "I don't know if this is such a good idea anymore. You know I'm not very coordinated or athletic like you are."

"Oh please! I've seen you chase down an unsub and tackle his ass to the ground. Trust me, you're plenty athletic," JJ argued as she tried to pull Emily onto the slick ice.

"Chasing an unsub is a lot different from having to coordinate my balance on two thin pieces of metal while twirling around on a slick surface of ice. Give me the unsub any day," Emily persisted as she kept a firm grasp on the drooping branch to her left. JJ still had her right hand in a vice like grip, but Emily was holding onto the tree even tighter.

Knowing just how to persuade the brunette, JJ exclaimed, "Do you not trust me, Emily?"

"Don't be ridiculous JJ. Of course I trust you. But trusting you with my heart is a lot different than trusting you to catch me when I'm going to inevitably fall on my ass."

"I'll catch you Sweetheart. Just trust me," JJ goaded, adding in a few fluttering eye lashes and a soft pout for good measure.

"Damnit, why do you have to be so friggin' cute?" Emily mumbled to herself as she finally let go of the tree branch.

On shaking and unsteady legs, Emily glided onto the ice with JJ pulling her forward. The blonde, clearly practiced at ice skating, easily skated backwards to drag the trembling brunette behind her. Emily's terrorized face slowly broke into a grin as she watched JJ leading the way. The wind was whipping the blonde hair sticking out of the bottom of the toboggan around JJ's pale face. The bitterly cold wind had caused JJ's normally rosy cheeks to glow a brighter red. But the most beautiful part for Emily was the way JJ's blue eyes danced with laughter as happiness shone brightly from within. _"How in the world did I get this lucky?"_ Emily thought happily to herself.

Snapping out of her mesmerized trance, Emily heard JJ talking to her, "Okay Em. I'm going to let you go. You're doing great, just keep your balance and the rest will come to you."

Before Emily could protest and beg JJ to not let go of her two hands, the blonde had already skated away from her. Instantly panicking, Emily's arms starting whirl winding and the brunette quickly found herself sitting hard on the cold ice. Looking up to glare at JJ, Emily remained pouting while she said, "I knew this would happen. I trusted you!"

JJ easily heard to teasing note in the brunette's tone. But she still felt bad that the moment she skated away, her girlfriend had fallen down. "I'm sorry Sweetheart. Come on, I'll help you up and I promise not to let go until you say it's okay. Deal?"

Deciding to play the sympathy card a little longer, Emily simply shook her head and remained seated on the cold ice. Stuffing her hands deep into her coat pockets, the brunette fingered the little blue box hidden inside. She remained silent while JJ coaxed, "Come on Baby, I promise to make it up to you tonight."

Hearing the lustful quality of her girlfriends voice, Emily looked up and retorted, "Why? So your brother can walk in on us and interrupt _again_?"

"Listen, I promise to lock the door this time! Just get up and skate with your girlfriend damnit!" JJ joked as she reached down and pulled Emily up by arms.

"Fine, fine! So demanding!" the brunette jibed as she now stood unsteadily beside JJ this time.

As the two pushed off, JJ kept a firm grip around Emily's waist before saying, "You don't seem to mind my bossy nature in the bedroom." Emily smirked as she allowed her silence to show JJ that the blonde was right. The two fell into a comfortable silence as they skated around the width of the pond. Slowly JJ lessened her grip around Emily's waist until the two where skating just holding hands. Finally, JJ resumed speaking, "See Em? Look at you, basically skating on your own already. You're a natural!"

"I attribute this success story to the fact I had the world's best instructor."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to put the moves on me Emily."

Emily smiled as she looked over at the blonde beside her. "Oh no, you'll know when I'm putting the moves on you. I can promise you that," Emily finished mysteriously.

"Okay Miss Flirt, let's see if you can do this on your own," JJ urged as she slowly let go of Emily's hand. The brunette, though she still looked terrified, actually did well on her own. The pair made it about half way around the large pond before Emily's skate hit a hidden stick and sent her flying, head first, to JJ's feet. Immediately falling to her knees in front of Emily, JJ pulled the brunette up and searched her eyes for any signs of pain, "Oh my God! Emily, Sweetheart, are you alright?"

Taking a mental check of her body, Emily determined that nothing was broken. She was going to have some pretty big bruises, but nothing serious. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just, stand up," Emily instructed as she rose to her knees.

"Yeah, okay, I'll help you up," JJ agreed at once. But when JJ reached her full height and looked down, she saw that Emily didn't have her hands out stretched for the blonde to help her stand up. Instead, Emily was now kneeling on one knee, with a small blue box cradled in her trembling and now gloveless hands. "Emily, what's going on?" JJ asked hesitantly, her voice quivering with restrained excitement.

Before gathering the courage to look into JJ's expectant blue eyes, Emily mumbled half-heartedly to herself, "God, I didn't think I'd be this nervous." After another deep breath, Emily finally raised her brown eyes to meet her blue counterparts hovering above her. "Jen, I was alone my entire life. I moved from city to city, state to state, country to country. I never stayed in one place long enough to make a real friend. Because of that, I withdrew into myself and learned how to guard my heart in ways no human should ever have to.

"But then I met you Jen. You completely changed my world and flipped it upside down. If I'm being honest, I fell in love with you the first day I met you. Terrified, I did what I did best and tried to retreat behind my walls and hide inside my compartments. But you and Henry shattered the barriers I had spent a lifetime constructing in only a matter of days. As our friendship grew, I fell deeper and deeper for you with each passing day, but I was living in denial, terrified of being hurt. But sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eyes. And when you became my girlfriend, I knew I had never been happier than in that moment. And every day since then has been better than the one before.

"One of my favorite quotes is: 'Love vanquishes time. To lovers, a moment can be eternity; eternity can be the tick of a clock.' I learned it back in boarding school, and it's always stuck with me because I never thought I would be lucky enough to experience the feeling. But with you Jen, that quote rings truer than it possibly has for any couple before. When I'm away from you, time crawls by and I'm all but rushing to see you again, willing time to speed up. But our time together flies by too quickly and I feel that every moment is a moment we'll never get back; every moment a wasted opportunity to show you, tell you, how I feel. Well, I refuse to let any more of those moments pass.

"I've been planning this moment since our first date. I knew, even then, that I would be on bended knee and at your mercy one day. So I ask you this, Jennifer Jareau, will you marry me?" Emily finished her monologue as she held the eye contact with JJ they had established before she began. In that moment, her senses picked up on every detail around her. A robin was chirping in a distant tree. Her pant leg was soggy and wet with melted ice. Her fingers were chilled to the point of numbness. JJ's breath rose in unsteady puffs into the air. JJ's clear blue eyes were filled with unshed tears. Her heart beat was heavy and thudding in her chest.

JJ continued to hold Emily's confident gaze. She and Emily had briefly discussed marriage before, joking about what kind of rings they wanted. As she looked down at the Tiffany & Co. blue box in her girlfriend's hand and she saw the massive princess cut diamond, she knew that Emily had been listening. The blonde hadn't thought that Emily was ready for such a big commitment, only just recently revealing to JJ that she had never had a serious relationship. But JJ had fallen for the brunette the first day she had seen her interact with Henry. When the two hit it off, JJ knew she wanted to marry Emily.

Finally, after a few moments of complete silence, JJ allowed a large smile to spread across her cold face as she fell to her knees in front of Emily. Looking back into Emily's light brown eyes, with her heart pounding excitedly in her chest, JJ nodded her head vigorously before saying, "Yes! Yes Emily Prentiss. I'll marry you. I'll be your wife!" JJ finished in a squeal as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Emily's neck and pulled the brunette into a passionate kiss.

When the need for air became too great, Emily reluctantly pulled back and put some space between their two bodies. With a large smile on her face, Emily took the ring from the velvet folds and slipped it onto JJ's left ring finger after she removed the bright blue glove. As JJ looked down at the perfectly fitted diamond ring, she looked back up into Emily's chocolate brown eyes and said, "I love you so much Emily. I'll spend every day, for the rest of my life, showing you and telling you just how much."

After leaning down and capturing JJ's mouth in another kiss, this one slow and sensual, Emily grabbed JJ's hands and pulled both of them to their feet, Emily responded, "I love you more than I may ever be able to tell you, Jennifer. But I'll spend forever trying."

After a few more tender kisses, Emily stood up and pulled an excited JJ after her. The brunette looked on as the blonde happily stared down and admired her enormous ring. Giving JJ a quick kiss, Emily skated gracefully to the edge of the pond. Looking behind her, the older woman saw a stunned blonde gaping at her, "Wait, I thought you couldn't skate."

Emily smirked devilishly as she responded, "Have you met my mother? She had me in every kind of lesson for every kind of non-contact sport since I could walk. Of course I can skate."

JJ's heart thudded in her chest as she realized just how much thought Emily put into this proposal. If possible, in that moment, JJ had fallen even more in love with the brunette profiler. Walking to the drooping tree branch, JJ sat down next to Emily as they both began to put their boots back on to trek back to the house. JJ was giddy with excitement as she thought about telling Julie, Liz and her mother. Hardly able to contain her enthusiasm JJ bounced up and down eagerly on the limb. "Hurry up, Em! I wanna tell everybody."

Laughing softly at JJ's behavior, Emily looked beside her and made eye contact with JJ before saying, "I'm sorry if I'm taking my time, but I want to enjoy this moment with my fiancé."

JJ, feeling slightly guilty, still smiled grandly before leaning in and kissing Emily softly on the lips a few times. "Mmm… fiancé, I like the way that sounds."

"I'll like the way, 'wife' sounds a whole lot better," Emily replied with a twinkle in her eye. Finally finished putting on her boots, Emily stood and grabbed JJ's still un-gloved left hand into her bare right one. Hand in hand, the pair made their way back towards the Jareau residence to announce the good news.


	3. Chapter 3

** A/N: I AM SO SORRY! With the holidays and family being in town and graduate school starting, I've been swamped. But here is the final installment. I hope you enjoy! **

**-TCE-**

As the two women finally neared the house, JJ could no longer contain her excitement as she ran forward and burst through the back door. Emily chuckled to herself as she slowly trudged through the thick snow. She could faintly hear the blonde yell in the house, "Jase! Jules! Where are you?" But as the brunette neared the back door herself, she saw JJ mournfully return to the open doorway muttering a dejected, "Everyone's gone."

Not liking that JJ was upset about being unable to tell her family the good news, Emily quickly strode up to place herself firmly in front of the blonde. Reaching out to rest her hands on JJ's waist, Emily looked down into blue eyes and responded, "I don't exactly see that as a bad thing."

JJ realized what Emily meant by the comment as the brunette leaned forward and began kissing a trail from her jaw to her collarbone. Straining against the welcome contact, JJ decided to play along, "And why is that?"

Taking a few seconds to tease the sensitive skin just below JJ's ear, Emily finally managed to mumble, "Because…now we can celebrate our engagement in an empty house. You won't have to hold back like you normally do." Emily smirked as she moved to the other side of JJ's neck to trail more kisses from jaw line to collarbone. Emily and been delighted to find that JJ was very vocal in the bedroom. But normally, she had to fight to keep her moans and cries contained because Henry was just down the hall. On the rare occasion that the small boy was at his Aunt Penny's house when Garcia volunteered to babysit him, JJ let lose. Had they been living in an apartment or Emily's old condo, there would have definitely been noise complaints filed.

Closing her eyes at the sensation of Emily's lips traveling the full expanse of her neck, JJ found it increasingly difficult to play along, "Are you trying to seduce me, Emily Prentiss?"

"That depends. Is it working?" Emily had her answer as she felt the blonde's fingers run desperately through her brown hair as JJ craned her neck further back to allow more access. Before she allowed their actions to venture any further, Emily abruptly pulled away from JJ and took a full step back from the blonde. With a moan of protest, it was a few delayed moments before JJ was finally able to open her blue eyes and find Emily's brown ones. With a questioning look, JJ didn't have to say a word to convey what she was asking. The two women had developed an unspoken language that involved simply looks made between the two. Answering in a husky voice, Emily reached out and grabbed JJ's smaller hand in her own while shutting the door and leading the two of them up the stairs, "I don't want to give the entire neighborhood a show. We're going to your room."

The blonde only nodded her head as she allowed herself to be drug to her room. When the two entered the room, JJ watched in amusement as Emily shut the door and deliberately locked it. Before the brunette fully turned back around, JJ said, "Baby, I don't think Jason is going to be interrupting us."

"Well, with your brother's ability to barge in at the most inopportune moments, I don't think I'll take any chances," Emily explained as she turned to face JJ. The blonde was still donned from head to toe in her winter gear. Her cheeks were a rosy red from the frigid air and her hair fell in a cascade of loose blonde locks from her grey and pink cap. But what captivated Emily the most were JJ's eyes. Her blue eyes were shining more vividly than normal. The color, normally a light blue like the sky, were darkening in their lust and turning to vibrant cobalt, sparkling with desire. Mesmerized by the sight before her, Emily blindly walked forward until she held JJ's face tenderly in her hands. She placed a gentle kiss to each eyelid before kissing the tip of JJ's nose and finally arriving at the blonde's mouth.

The kiss started out soft. Emily trying to convey everything she felt in that tender touch. She wasn't a woman of many words by nature, so she often allowed her actions to speak for her. And JJ felt the love that the brunette put behind the soft kiss. But the emotions JJ was felling only proved to fuel her desire further. Eventually, she deepened the kiss to one with more passion, more desire, more unadulterated need. JJ spun the two around as she slowly walked their heated bodies back towards her bed. On the way, the two shed clothes with every step. By the time they reached the bed, Emily stood panting in her boy shorts and sports bra while JJ stood before her in a black lace thong and bra, both trimmed in hot pink.

When the two broke apart for necessary air, Emily marveled at the difference between them. The black lace and hot pink combination was so utterly JJ that it struck a chord deep within the brunette. This women, this beautiful, sexy, _frilly_ woman, was going to be her wife. They were going to raise a family together and grow old together. With that thought resounding in her mind, Emily surged forward and captured JJ's lips in a kiss of passionate need.

Though the kiss was rough in its intensity, Emily was gentle in removing the two remaining garments from JJ's toned body. While Emily was blessed with a naturally slim physique, JJ worked hard for hers. And the brunette showed appreciation for the blonde's efforts when she pushed JJ onto the mattress and quickly covered the smaller woman's body with her own. Normally, JJ would fight Emily for control. But right now, JJ sensed that the brunette needed the power in order to convey the love that she couldn't always put into words. She sensed this in the urgency and force that her lover was using. Normally Emily took her time and was slow and languid in her lovemaking. But JJ had never seen Emily so blinded by desire and need before. So the blonde laid back and enjoyed the sensations as she allowed the profiler to have her way.

Without waiting a moment, Emily began to trail hot kisses down JJ's slender neck and to her prominent collarbone. Moving on, Emily bent her head to take JJ's hardened nipple into her mouth. With a flick of her tongue, Emily heard JJ moan loudly above her. Bracing herself with her left hand, Emily brought her right one up to tweak the nipple of JJ's other breast. Emily felt JJ writhe beneath her as she changed positions and reversed the roles of her mouth and hand. After a few minutes of hearing JJ's moans of approval, Emily left JJ's breast to harden even more when the cold air of the room hit the wet flesh.

Slowly, Emily made her way down JJ's flexing stomach. The blonde woman was panting heavily beneath her teasing kisses causing the toned abs to become defined with each heaving breath. Emily traced the deep lines as she gazed up lovingly to JJ's face only to find her blue eyes closed against her passion. Continuing down, Emily trailed hot, wet kisses down to the very top of JJ's center, only to veer off and kiss the inside of the blonde's thighs. The brunette heard JJ moan in protest as she reached down and tangled her frantic hands in dark brown locks. "Please Em, stop teasing. I _need_ you.," JJ finished in a desperate whisper as her hips bucked up in anticipation.

Not one to deny her lover anything, Emily quickly obliged the blonde and kissed her way slowly back to JJ's center. Truth be told, Emily needed to satisfy JJ just a badly as the blonde needed to be satisfied. So without hesitation, Emily shot her tongue out and flicked JJ's clit. When she felt JJ's fingers tighten in her hair and the blonde's hips shoot up while she started chanting, "Fuck. Right there baby," Emily knew that her lover wouldn't last much longer. They had both been deprived of sexual contact for over a week. It was the longest they had gone without each other's touch since they had gotten together.

Not wanting to draw out the torture much longer considering she wasn't sure when everyone would be home, Emily removed her mouth from JJ's clit and slowly slid back up the blonde's tight body. When she finally reached JJ's mouth, she kissed the blonde passionately while sliding two fingers inside of her already wet center. JJ moaned as she tasted herself on Emily's lips. Combined with the slow pulses of her lover's fingers, the blonde was quickly coming undone.

"Oh God, Emily. Fuck…I'm so close baby," JJ gasped into Emily's ear. And right then, Emily could feel JJ's walls clench down on her pumping fingers. Wanting to provide her lover with a quick release, Emily slid in a third finger, stretching JJ further. With a few rough flicks of her thumb, Emily felt JJ's body tense beneath her. The blonde's arms came up with one hand getting lost in Emily's dark hair and the other leaving a trail of scratches down her smooth back. The brunette woman welcomed the faintly throbbing pain, knowing it meant she had brought JJ to the edge of her passion.

With her hips rocking to the quick rhythm of Emily's pumping fingers, JJ felt her orgasm ripping through her body. And in a way that only Emily could make her do, JJ arched off the mattress, arms still wrapped around her lover, and screamed Emily's name almost incoherently while moaning in pleasure. Tightening her grip on her lover's back, JJ felt herself slowly coming down from her high. She was vaguely aware of Emily showering kissed all over her face and neck, but she could only focus on how powerful her orgasm had been and how weak she now felt.

But determined not to be outdone, JJ forcefully tried to flip the two of them over so that she could return the favor to her fiancé. Already expecting the movement, Emily held firm as she prevented the blonde from switching their positions. Instead, the brunette leaned over and captured JJ's lips in a slow, unhurried kiss that last several minutes. Finally breaking apart, Emily looked deeply into JJ's blue eyes and spoke for the first time, "Not today Jen. Today was about me showing you how much I love you. It was about me making you my fiancé."

JJ nodded in understanding as she wrapped her arms tightly around Emily's neck and pulled the brunette closer to her. She noticed, quite regretfully, that Emily was still in her underwear and bra. Regardless, the blonde pulled her lover closer to her body until the brunette's head was resting softly on her chest. She could feel the cool air of her lover's breathing every time Emily exhaled brushing across her collarbone. The two didn't need to say anything in the silence of the room with their bodies still recovering as their legs tangled together on top of the sheets. Emily simply lay there drawling lazy circles on JJ's toned stomach while JJ threaded her fingers slowly through Emily's soft brown locks.

Suddenly, Emily reached over to the other side of JJ's body and grabbed her left hand and brought it to the blonde's stomach to rest. They both sat and admired the sparkling diamond ring as it captured the little bit of light that filtered through the blinds. After a few minutes of the two of them looking at the ring, hands and fingers intertwined, JJ broke the silence, "I had no idea, Em. You completely took me by surprise."

JJ felt Emily smirk that half smile she loved so much before responding, "That's kind of the point of an engagement, Jen."

"I know that! I'm only saying we haven't even really talked about it before. We had a brief discussion about it a few months ago, but Henry interrupted us for one reason or another. I can't remember now. But we never revisited the topic so I simply thought it wasn't on the table yet," JJ confessed as she twirled the diamond, still not taking her eyes off of it.

"That conversation was more telling than you realize. I found out what kind of ring you wanted and that you were interested in marriage with me. That's all I needed to know. I didn't bring it back up because I wanted to surprise you. Mission accomplished," Emily finished with a soft chuckle. She wasn't about to admit that she had been terrified that the blonde would say no to her _because_ they hadn't talk more about it. But that was neither here nor there because JJ _had_ accepted.

"Have you given any thought to it yet?"

Emily was jostled out of her thoughts by the soft voice above her. "Thought to what?"

JJ rolled her eyes at how dense Emily could be sometimes, "The wedding. Do you have any ideas?"

"Oh. Uhm, no. Not really. As long as you become my wife, I couldn't care less about how it happens. I only ask one thing," Emily stated as she wrapped JJ's hand tighter around her own.

"What's that?" JJ questioned.

"I want to pick the date."

"Okay, did you already have one in mind?" JJ asked eager to know when she would be able to get married.

"June 21st. I want to get married on June 21st," Emily said with certainty in her voice.

Trying to think hard if there was something special on June 21st, JJ came up short. It wasn't a special day for them and she couldn't think of any reason why Emily would want to be married on that specific date. Finally not being able to think of anything, JJ asked, "Why June 21st?"

Emily turned her head up and looked deeply into JJ's clear blue eyes before responding, "I already checked and it falls on a Saturday next year. June 21st is the Summer Solstice. That means it's the longest day of the year. The day that you become my wife, and you and Henry become my family, will be the happiest day of my life. I will want that day to last forever. The Summer Solstice is the closest I'll be able to come."

JJ felt tears swell in her eyes. She often complained about Emily's inability to express her emotions properly. But when she heard the brunette say things like what she said during the proposal and what she said just now, it made up for all the other times she never said enough. "June 21st sounds perfect, Em," JJ finally responded as she leant forward to give Emily a lingering kiss. She could still taste herself on her lover's swollen lips.

Before either woman could make another move or say another word, they heard a voice race up the stairs and through the door, "Hey Jenny! Stop doing the dirty up there with your woman and get down here to exchange presents!"

JJ rolled her eyes while Emily groaned anxiously and buried her face in the blonde's neck. Leave it to Jason to ruin their moment. But after a moment of pouting, JJ quickly jumped up and started putting her discarded clothes back on. Looking at Emily still sprawled on the bed, JJ tossed some pants and a shirt at the brunette before saying, "Hurry up Em! I want to tell them the news!"

Emily wanted to stay in bed with JJ all day. But as she watched her fiancé excitedly dance around the room looking for different articles of clothing that had been thrown about, she couldn't help but smile broadly and get dressed herself. After the two were fully clothed and ready, JJ bounded out of the room and disappeared down the stairs. The blonde woman was excited about telling everyone that she was engaged. The brunette woman was dreading the possibility that the announcement wasn't going to be as widely accepted as JJ was anticipating.

Swallowing her nervousness, Emily forced her legs forward as she followed JJ downstairs. When she finally entered the living room where everyone was gathered around the large Christmas tree that had presents stacked in piles around it, the brunette found JJ standing before the other couples. Julie and Matt were seated on the sofa while Jason and Liz occupied the floor in front of the crackling fireplace.

With a hesitant walk, Emily finally made her way to stand supportively beside JJ as she placed a reassuring arm around the blonde's slim waist. Tucking some of her dark hair behind her ear, Emily then put her free hand in the back pocket of her jeans. Her presence, while reassuring to JJ, conveyed apprehension to the other occupants of the room. Clenching her jaw tightly, Emily constricted her hold on JJ's waist and waited for the blonde to have her moment.

With the two women standing before them, one in obvious elation and one in clear uneasiness, Jason sat up a little straighter and looked questionably at his younger sister. He saw the way Emily was holding herself without her usual natural confidence, but the way JJ was beaming and glowing, he knew nothing bad had happened. Nevertheless, his overprotective nature took over as he asked, "Everything alright Jenny?"

At the question, JJ's large smile grew wider as she couldn't contain her excitement another moment. Turning to look at Emily one last time, JJ placed a quick kiss to the brunette's blushing cheek and turned back to her family. Drawing a deep breath, JJ looked at her sister, then made eye contact with her brother and said, "Everything's fine Jase. Emily already gave me my Christmas present. I'm just excited is all."

"That's great Jenny, but why does Emily look like she's about to upchuck all over her shoes?" Jason queried not so eloquently.

"Because she's easily embarrassed," JJ responded as she laced her right arm through Emily's and around the brunette's waist.

"Ooooookay…but why would she be embarrassed? Am I missing something here?" he asked while looking around at everyone else. Seeing the equally confused faces on his wife, sister, and brother-in-law, Jason knew he wasn't the only one.

After waiting a few seconds to build the suspense, JJ finally jumped up and down in excitement as she squealed, "Because she proposed! We're getting married!" With the declaration JJ stuck her left hand out in the universal sign for showing off her newly acquired diamond engagement ring.

It took a few moments for the statement to sink in, but after the stunned silence, Julie and Liz jumped from their seats and shot forward to engulf JJ in a bone crushing hug. The three women proceeded to jump up and down and go in a circle while still in each other's arms. Finally, the screeching stopped at the women pulled apart and eagerly grabbed JJ's left hand to examine the ring. Julie was the first to speak a coherent sentence as she exclaimed, "OH MY GOD JJ! THAT ROCK IS HUGE!"

With the commotion still going on, Matt and Jason rose from their places and walked over to congratulate Emily, since JJ's attention was otherwise occupied. Matt wrapped Emily in a one armed hug as he said, with a broad smile on his face, "It's about time Liz and I got another ally in this family."

Jason was the last to make his way over. Simply offering a shake of the hand, Jason mumbled a forced, "Congratulations," before retreating back to his seat in front of the fire.

Emily did her best not to profile the people in her personal life. That included JJ and her family. But at a moment this monumental, she couldn't turn it off. So she caught on to the fact that Jason was obviously not happy by the announcement. This is the reaction she had been anticipating, but hoping with all her might that wouldn't come to pass. Julie, Liz, and even Matt seemed genuinely excited. But Jason, and Emily suspected Richard Jareau was going to be the same, was having a harder time adjusting. She had a sneaking suspicion that it was because she had just claimed the 'baby' of the family as her own. To Jason, JJ would always be his kid sister that followed him around and idolized everything he did. Now she was an adult and making a life for herself, and he was having a hard time acclimating to that.

Before Emily could think any further on the issue, she turned towards the kitchen as she heard the door that lead out to the garage open with a bang. Immediately afterward, Emily watched as Henry ran through the door and sprint towards her with open arms. Feeling the first genuine smile cross her face since she and JJ made love, Emily bent down to grab the small boy as he flew through the air. "Emmy! Can I have my surpwise now? I was a weally good boy all day! Ask Gwandma and Gwandpa!"

Emily marveled at the way Henry was able to remember that he was supposed to get a surprise. But she figured most kids were like that when it came to potentially getting a new toy or something along those lines. She laughed easily as she shifted Henry to her hip and responded, "Yeah Champ. Let's wait until everyone gets in here though, okay?"

Nodding eagerly, excited that everyone would get to see his surprise, Henry agreed, "Otay!"

Eventually, Lisa and Richard Jareau trudged through the door with two sleeping children in their arms and two more scampering around their feet. As the two adults walked in, they went about the task of setting the two sleeping children down to sleep before turning around and facing the room. Without taking in the atmosphere, Lisa exclaimed, "Emily dear, you wouldn't believe how much that boy went on and on about you and whatever surprise you have in store for him. But I will say, it's the most well behaved he's been in quite some time," she finished while making her way over to stand in Richard's strong arms.

Emily simply placed a soft kiss to the boy's temple as she rubbed her hand up and down his back. She could tell Henry was tired because he had laid his head down on her shoulder and his breathing was starting to even out. But in true Henry fashion, the boy was stubbornly awaiting his surprise before he fell asleep for his daily nap.

With the Richard and Lisa wrapped in each other's arms, the mother finally looked at everyone in the room. She took in JJ's ecstatic smile, Liz and Julie's smirks, Matt's avoidance of eye contact, and Jason's hunched form. Finally returning her eyes to Emily, she could see the brunette was struggling to maintain a relaxed front, but with one look into her brown eyes, Lisa could see that the younger woman was a bundle of nerves. "Alright, spill. What's going on?"

Emily turned to looked questionably at JJ. She knew the blonde was excited about giving the good news, but she also knew it would probably sound better coming from herself. So with that single, silent look, Emily received a slight nod from the blonde indicating that it was alright for her to be the one to tell her parents. Taking a deep breath and mentally preparing herself for what was to come, Emily finally looked toward Lisa and Richard while she responded, "Well, that's actually part of Henry's surprise."

Henry's little head snapped up, his attention peaked at the mentioning of his surprise, "Weally? What is it? Can I have it now?"

Setting the small boy on the ground, Emily followed him to his level as she bent to her knees to kneel before him. She looked up one last time to JJ's mother and father before returning her eyes to Henry's expectant blue ones. "Well, it's not really something I can give to you. I asked your mother to marry me today, Champ, and she said yes! We're going to be a family!" Emily finished excitedly. Aside from actually asking JJ to marry her, this was the happiest she had felt. She was so excited to tell Henry and to see his reaction to the fact that they were all going to be a _real _family now.

But the reaction she received wasn't what she had been expecting. Henry's eyes began to fill rapidly with tears. He whirled around and faced Cassie, Julie and Matt's eight year old daughter who was sitting happily in her father's lap, and yelled, "It's not true!" before running upstairs. Emily sat stunned, staring at the empty space Henry had just vacated before turning her own teary gaze up towards JJ's worried one. The brunette flinched as she heard a distance door upstairs slam shut with the angered force of a four year old.

JJ looked brokenly at her parents. She wanted so badly to celebrate this good news with them. As she looked in her mother's eyes, she saw the restrained excitement and the obvious concern battling in the older woman's blue eyes. After a moment's hesitation, the older woman gave a slight nod to her daughter indicating they would talk about everything after they dealt with Henry. With the silent command, JJ placed a hand on Emily's shoulder and knelt down in front of the brunette. "Come on Sweetheart. Let's go talk to him."

Chocking back a sob, Emily looked desperately into JJ's blue eyes, seeking the comfort she always found there. "He obviously doesn't want to see me right now, JJ. You should go alone." Emily hated how she was acting right now. She had worked so hard to portray a sense of confidence and strength to the Jareau's. And with Henry's rejection of her and JJ's engagement, that façade came crashing down.

JJ gently placed her hands on either side of Emily's face and leaned in for a soft kiss. Neither cared that JJ's entire family was in the same room. The two of them needed the calm that came from being close. "We're a family Emily. Even right now, before we make it official, we're a family. We're both going to talk to _our_ son to see what's going on."

Emily briefly rested her forehead against JJ's before she nodded softly and rose with the blonde. Looking at the family she was about to join, Emily saw that everyone was looking at the two with worried and sympathetic gazes. Apparently a glutton for punishment, Emily allowed her gaze to travel to Jason, the one person she knew would be having the hardest time with her marrying the 'baby.' But as her profiling skills came to the surface, she noticed that Jason had snapped out of his pouting phase and was the one that seemed most hurt by Henry's rejection. Richard a frown upon his face, seemingly upset at the scene that had just unfolded before him. When Emily made eye contact with the older man, he offered a soft smile in silent support.

The two women, hand in hand, trudged back up the stairs in search of Henry. They didn't have to go far because the only closed door in the hallway was the door leading to JJ's childhood bedroom. Before entering the room, JJ leaned up and gave Emily a reassuring kiss and a heartfelt smile. Having offered all the reassurances she could, JJ opened the door and walked into her messy room. Some things never changed, and her propensity to allow her room to clutter was one of them. Looking around, they immediately saw Henry hunched on the bed, holding on tightly to a teddy bear that had belonged to JJ when she was a child.

Not wanting to scare Henry, Emily hung back a little bit and allowed JJ to approach the bed while whispering, "Hey Buddy. What's wrong?"

"Nofing…" the two heard him murmur as he dug his head deeper into the teddy bear in his arms.

When JJ finally reached the bed, she sat on the edge as she reached over to run her fingers through Henry's blonde locks. It was left a little long, allowing the ends to curl up. When she looked up, JJ saw Emily still standing by the closed door, hovering awkwardly as though ready to dash from the room at Henry's first request. To prevent that from happening, JJ motioned for Emily to join her side. When the brunette neared, the blonde slipped her free hand into one of Emily's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Eventually turning back towards her son, JJ continued, "It doesn't seem like nothing. Come on Henry, sit up and talk to us."

"But I don't wanna talk wif Emmy," Henry replied petulantly into the teddy bear.

JJ could feel the shudder of despair that rippled through Emily's body because it rippled through hers as well. This was not how everything was supposed to work out. With that thought in mind, JJ's anger briefly made an appearance as she snapped, "Well too bad. Henry Michael Jareau, you sit up this instance and behave like a big boy."

Hearing the threatening tone in his mother's voice, Henry scrambled to comply. JJ rarely raised her voice at him because he was normally a very well behaved boy. So in the few instances that she did grow upset with him, he knew she meant business. Finally sitting with his back to the wall and his legs crossed Indian style, Henry looked meekly from under his dropped brow and into his mother's mad blue eyes. "Yes ma'am," he offered as he hugged the teddy bear tighter to his chest.

"That's better. Now, would you like to explain to me what just happened?" JJ asked deciding to get to the heart of the matter as opposed to beating around the bush. She knew that Emily was emotionally hanging on by a thread, so she didn't want to cause the brunette any further discomfort.

"Not weally," was Henry's short, muffled reply. Clearly the boy, who was usually so verbose, was hiding something. This only served to upset the mother even further.

"Henry…" she began in a warning tone. "Why did you run away when Emily told you about her surprise for you?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Mommy. Pwease don't make me," Henry pleaded as he gazed beseechingly into his mother's eyes.

Emily watched the interaction with her hand still firmly grasped in JJ's tight grip. Her heart was shattered and the only thing holding her together right now was the physical comfort JJ was providing in their simple touch. As she looked down at Henry's pleading eyes, she knew that she would have already caved and given up. But JJ was different, stronger, than her when it came to Henry. So Emily wasn't surprised when JJ pushed the boy, "Does this have anything to do with what you yelled at Cassie? Do I need to call her in here, too?" JJ threatened and she began to rise from the bed.

Hearing the warning in his mother's voice, Henry leapt to his knees and reached out to grab JJ's arm as he breathlessly said, "No! Pwease don't do that Mommy! I'll tell you, just pwease don't call Cassie in here!"

"Okay Buddy. I won't call her in here, but you've got to spill. What's going on?" JJ reassured as she settle back onto the bed. She was never going to actually call Cassie into the room, but luckily Henry was still too young to read a bluff.

Henry sighed in relief as he collapsed back against the wall. In his moment of panic, the teddy bear and been thrown off the edge of the bed, so now he nervously played with his hands while not looking either JJ or Emily in the eyes. Taking an audibly deep breath, Henry said in a rush of words, "Cassie said that when you and Emmy get mawwied that you are going to have babies and send me away because you won't want me anymore."

JJ sat in shocked silence for a moment before she could even fathom a response. But before she utter a single word of reassurance, she watched as Emily rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the now crying boy. The brunette gathered Henry into her arms and placed him on her lap. As though it was an automatic response, Henry lifted his arms and wrapped them tightly around Emily's neck. The blonde boy placed his small head on Emily's strong shoulder and buried his face in her neck, taking in her comforting scent.

The three of them sat there for some time, JJ watching as Emily held Henry, until the quiet became too much. Surprisingly, Emily was the one to break the silence, "Henry, I want you to listen to me, okay?" Emily pulled back from Henry and forced the boy's blue eyes to meet her brown ones. She knew he was too young to understand the love that she knew could be found in her eyes. So instead, she forced herself to find the words to explain what she knew the four year old needed to hear, "I love you, Henry. I know I don't say it a lot, but I want you to know that. I love you more than you can understand. I also love your mother very much. You and your mother are my world. I would be lost without the two of you.

"So by asking JJ to marry me, I'm also asking if you want to be my son, too. Because that's what you are to me now. You are my son. I would never, _ever_, send you away. And I will fight anyone who tries to take you away from your mother and me. If JJ and I have other children, it will be because we want you to have a brother or sister, not because we want to replace you." Looking deep into Henry's blue eyes, Emily could see comprehension forming behind the tears. Pulling the blonde boy forward into an embrace once again, Emily asked, "Do you understand Henry? Do you understand that I love and nothing will ever change that?"

Feeling Henry give a vigorous nod, Emily closed her eyes against the torrent of emotions flowing through her. She placed a soft kiss to the top of his blonde head before looking back up to see JJ wiping tears away from her cheeks. Emily reached one hand out to cup JJ's redden cheek and wipe away the few tears that were continuing to fall. JJ couldn't resist the pull any longer. Hearing Emily speak so openly to her son had brought forward a huge wave of gratitude and love. So leaning forward, she captured Emily's lips in a slow kiss. A kiss that conveyed the three of them were a family and would always remain as such.

As the two women pulled apart, Henry pulled out of Emily's arms and looked up at JJ while turning to rest his back against Emily's chest. Once he was situated, he asked, "Mommy, why would Cassie say that?"

JJ wanted to give Henry a good answer, but she didn't have one. Cassie was the spitting image of her mother, in physicality and in personality. Julie and her friends had often played cruel tricks on Jason and JJ when they were all younger. But JJ knew she couldn't tell Henry that, so instead, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "Because she's a girl and girls are mean, Buddy," the excuse, she knew, would sound logical to a four year old boy.

Henry nodded his head as he agreed with the simple statement. But as he rose his head to look at Emily's smirking face and then back to his mother's, he observed, "But you and Emmy are girls and you guys aren't mean…"

JJ looked towards Emily for help, but the brunette sat there not knowing how to respond. So JJ looked down at Henry and offered the lame excuse, "That's because we're different. I'm your mom and Emmy is going to be your other mom soon. Mommies aren't mean."

As though that made the most sense in the world, Henry replied, "Otay!" as he jumped from Emily's arms and made his way towards the bedroom door. Turning around to look at the two women, he said, "Come on! Let's go watch Percy Jackson's Wightning!" JJ only chuckled as she threw a playful glare at the brunette. Emily raised her hands in defense as the two of them crawled off the bed. JJ and Emily had watched Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief probably a hundred times. Henry had become addicted to all things to do with Roman and Greek history, especially mythology, when he found one of Emily's mythological books lying around. JJ blamed Emily for their daily torture of being subjected to watch the Percy Jackson movie.

As the trio left the room, JJ linked hands with Emily as she leaned into the brunette's side. Emily sighed happily as she rested her head on the blonde's. She was glad that everything was sorted out with Henry, but she knew that now she would have to face the rest of the family. They had assumedly all had time to gather their thoughts.

When they all entered the living room once more, Emily wasn't surprised to see Henry already setting the movie up with his cousins. And she certainly wasn't surprised when Lisa ran over and engulfed her in a giant hug. What did surprise her is what Lisa whispered into her ear, "It's about damn time Emily Prentiss. We've all known you two were made for each other since they day we met you." Emily returned the hug until the older woman pulled away. As the brunette looked to her right, she saw JJ wrapped in her father's arms. The older man had tears glistening in his hazel eyes.

As the two parted, Lisa swooped in and ushered JJ into the kitchen, the two followed swiftly by Julie and Liz. Emily could hear them faintly talking about the wedding. She had just proposed a few hours ago and now the women were already starting to plan. But she suspected that they had already secretly talked about wedding topics before today.

Emily gulped as she turned back towards Richard. Realizing she was now alone with JJ's father, Emily was terrified. The brunette's father hadn't been the most attentive father in the world. But when he was around, he was condescending, unloving, and barely tolerated her presence. So to be alone with JJ's father put Emily close to panicking. But as she looked up into the man's compassionate hazel eyes, she knew she had nothing to fear.

Richard knew and understood Emily's general distrust of parental figures. So he allowed his face to spread into a wide smile as he placed a large, weathered hand on her shoulder, and said, "Welcome to the family, Emily." With a fatherly kiss to her forehead, the same as the ones he had given to JJ over the years, Richard left Emily to her thoughts. The patriarch of the family made his way to sit on the couch to watch the movie with the children.

Emily watched as Richard Jareau sat down and Henry climbed into his waiting lap. The brunette woman stood silently in the foyer, just taking in her surroundings. She could still faintly hear JJ, Julie, Liz, and Lisa chatting in the kitchen about different wedding ideas. If she really concentrated, she could smell the coffee they had just brewed. Emily looked in at the scene in the living room. Henry resting contentedly in his grandfather's lap while the rest of his cousins, all now awake, spread lazily on the floor or on the couch. Matt and Jason were standing by the fire, talking animatedly about some college football game that was coming up soon. University of Pittsburg versus Ohio State in some bowl game.

Taking in all of these surroundings, Emily felt an involuntary smile spreading across her face. This was what a _real_ family felt like. This is where she was meant to be. Emily basked in the love that she felt flowing through her body. She rubbed her thumb against her left ring finger absentmindedly. She didn't have an engagement ring, but soon she'd have a wedding band adorning that spot. That thought alone was enough to bring her an untold amount of happiness. Emily Prentiss had finally found her spot in the world. She belonged with the Jareau's. She belonged in this moment, with these people, who loved her unconditionally.

With that thought at the forefront of her mind, Emily finally made her way into the living room. She sat next to Richard, with her smile still in place, and settled in to watch the movie with him and the kids. Not too long after she sat down, Henry crawled from his grandfather's lap to nestle himself into Emily's embrace. In their typical fashion, Henry sat with his back to Emily's front while the brunette ran her fingers through his blonde hair. Feeling the little boy shift slightly, Emily looked down to see what Henry needed.

As Emily looked down, Henry reached up and placed a quick kiss on the brunette's cheek and whispered, "I wove you so much Emmy." After the whispered confession, Henry turned back around and placed his full attention on the movie.

"I love you too, Champ," Emily whispered back as she placed a gentle kiss to the top of his head. Leaning back and resting her head on sofa, Emily thought vaguely to herself, _"This is where I belong."_

**Fin.**

**-TCE-**

**A/N: DONE! YAY! Thank you so much for reading! I kind of left it open so that maybe I'll come back and do a sequel one day. What do you think? Sequel or not?**

**A/N: For those of you who read my ****Intensely Fierce**** story, I'm working on the next chapter. I wanted to finish this one before I got further into that one. Should be up soon! **


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